Portland Trail Blazers: 5 key contract decisions to make in the next year

Decision #2 – Zach Collins extension

Zach Collins is the forgotten man of Blazers basketball. Collins has had terrible luck over the last 18 months, and won’t see an NBA court until the 2022 season.

Named the starting power forward before the 2020 season, he, unfortunately, dislocated his shoulder in the first month of that season. This meant that he has only played 20 games since the 21st of May 2019.

Because he is now out until the 2022 season, Collins will hit restricted free agency instead. This means that, like Simons, in a year or so time, the Blazers will let the market decide what his value is.

Collins is a skilled big man who undoubtedly could be a starter on an NBA team, but his injury history, especially around his troublesome foot, means that he will likely only command a small number.

If he can get back to full health this season, then maybe that number is a one-year minimum so Collins can prove he can play and stay on the court. I don’t see a situation where he gets any more than $4 million a year. Collins is a nice two-way player when fit, but he now has to prove his health on a small one-year deal because of his bad luck with injuries.

There is a chance that this is a one-year deal in Portland; I’m not sure how many teams would want to put in a bid for Collins at the end of the year.